China's Xi Jinping likely to skip G20 Summit in Delhi: Report

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip the upcoming G20 Summit being held in Delhi, sources familiar with the matter in India and China told Reuters.

The G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled to be held from September 9-10 at a newly built international convention and exhibition centre -- Bharat Mandapam -- at Pragati Maidan. The Summit is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in India.

Two Indian officials, one diplomat based in China and one official working for the government of another G20 country said Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at the September 9-10 meeting in New Delhi, the Reuters report revealed.

Recently, Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rare conversation on the sidelines of the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg and discussed reducing tensions in the bilateral relationship that soured after clashes along their Himalayan frontier in 2020 left 24 soldiers dead.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also conveyed his inability to attend the G20 Summit on September 9 to 10 in India and said Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, among other world leaders will be present in India to attend the G20 Summit.

According to sources, President Biden will stay in the ITC Maurya Sheraton. Secret service commandos will be present on every floor of the hotel, and a special lift will be installed to take the President to his room on the 14th floor. Around 400 rooms have been booked in the hotel to this end.

Around 23 hotels in Delhi and nine in NCR will host the G20 delegates.

The Delhi health department has formed 80 teams of doctors and nursing staff, who will serve guests staying at hotels. Out of these teams, 75 teams will work in shifts, officials said on Wednesday.

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